I’ve always wanted to pitch a home decorating show called “Like You’re Really Going To Do That.” The concept is to take all the fashionable ideas designers spit out and see how they stand up to real life. The idea came to me when my reaction to a bathroom makeover wasn’t “oh, how pretty” but …
I’m writing another mystery novel. Not because my first manuscript has been scooped up by a publisher, but because I listened to professionals and laid aside the first novel to work on something new. Advice from those same pros pound in my ears. “Grab the reader with the first lines, keep the plot moving, build …
Dissecting a stinking manuscript by Violet Carr Moore Read More »
Congratulations to all the participants in, and especially to the winners of, the first Tri-Valley Writers High School Writing Contest. Students in grades 9-11 from ten area high schools competed for prizes in fiction, essay, and poetry. A celebration for the winners was held Saturday, June 30, at Towne Center Books, 555 Main Street, Pleasanton. …
Tri-Valley Writers High School Writing Contest Reception at Towne Center Books Read More »
For the last eight months I’ve been working on one project, the sequel to Death By Chenille. That book took fifteen years to write, but my co-author suggested we write the next book to coincide with her art quilt seminar – in April. We didn’t make our deadline. Since I shelved three other projects to …
My sister-in-law just passed her final test to obtain a concealed gun permit. This is the sister-in-law with an MFA, who does exquisite pastel sketches of wildlife, and whose favorite outdoor activity is hiking in quiet mountains. Knowing that she also wanted a concealed gun permit – although not the reason why – got …
Just in time to inspire us before our summer break, Catherine M. Brady, Academic Director and Professor at USF, will speak on revisions. Brady is the author of Story Logic and the Craft of Fiction (2010), as well as three short story collections: The End of the Class War (1999), finalist for the 2000 Western …
There is never enough time in the day to accomplish all that needs to be done. Sometimes, that stops me cold. My plans to write get buried under the need to clean or go to the grocery. Then I see someone who manages to write every day, and clean and get to the grocery. The …
Rock ‘N Roll in Locker Seventeen by Shannon Brown placed in the first round of book pitches in a recent Amazon contest. Now Shannon has published her book through Lucky 17 Publishing Company. It’s available on Amazon CreateSpace, Kindle, and Smashwords.
While wandering in an antique shop, I noticed a simple but elegant bookcase filled with beautiful linens. On top of the stack on the highest shelf was a very realistic toy cat. I had to stretch to reach it. I tugged on its foot to determine if it was stuffed with kapok or buckwheat. The …
Reality is in the foot of a cat by Lani Longshore Read More »
Annette Langer was featured in an April 26, 2012 CNN iReport for her volunteer work at the Pleasanton Police Department. The article also describes her writing successes and book in progress: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-781423
